The Best Hamburger Buns

What better to go with the perfect hamburger, than the best hamburger buns? After making these homemade hamburger buns from King Arthur Flour and these cute little brioche buns I was on a quest to find the best hamburger buns to go with my perfect burger.

Luckily, my search was quick and easy. Along with her recipe for the perfect hamburger, Annie also had her perfect hamburger bun recipe. Originally printed in the NY times and adapted by another of my favorite food bloggers, Deb from Smitten Kitchen  who searched through over 100 different recipes, searching for the one. That's dedication!

With the perfect amount of fluff and firmness, these buns were every bit as good as the burger. They baked up golden and buttery with a hint of sweetness. The texture was heavier than your high quality white bread but lighter than a true brioche and complimented the burger perfectly.The process was just as easy as making your average dinner roll.

 I did half with sesame seeds and half without, thinking that my kids would turn their noses up at the seeded ones, but they were the first to go.

Now I've got my perfect burger and my perfect bun. It's going to be a great summer!

Light Brioche Burger Buns

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. warm milk

1 cup warm water

2 tsp. instant yeast

2½ tbsp. sugar

1½ tsp. salt

1 large egg

3 cups bread flour ( I ended up using between  3 1/8-3 1/4 cups)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2½ tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

For topping:

1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash

Sesame seeds

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg.  Mix briefly to combine.  Add the flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated.  Mix in the butter.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes.  The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour which will create tough buns.  

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 8 equal parts.  Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart.  Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, 1-2 hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled.  

Set a large metal pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 400˚ F with a rack in the center.  Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake the buns about 15 minutes rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats via Smitten Kitchen and Originally printed in the New York Times.

Posted by: Sallie